Josefin Bouveng has emerged as one of Sweden's top players at the 2024 World Championships, it's a process she believes all started in Minnesota.

Josefin Bouveng, 22, has been a top prospect for Sweden for years. She represented Sweden at three IIHF U-18 World Championships, including captaining the team in 2019. Flash forward to 2022, Bouveng made Sweden's Olympic roster and hasn't left the national team since.

The difference this year is Bouveng is a difference maker. 

It's a process she says started at the University of Minnesota, where she recently completed her second season playing on Minnesota's top line alongside Team USA's Abbey Murphy this year.

"I think it all started in Minnesota where I play every day and taking a bigger role there," said Bouveng of her improvements. "Also that I get a chance to have that here and come in with some confidence."

It showed in the preliminary round as Bouveng had four goals in four games and tied Hilda Svensson for the team lead in points with five. Svensson will follow Bouveng to North America to play NCAA hockey for Ohio State, as will Swedish defender Mira Jungaker. Sweden also features NCAA players Ida Karlsson, Thea Johansson, Paula Bergstrom, and Tindra Holm.

"I think if our national team programs wants to be one of the best, we've all got to surround ourselves with the best, and I think a lot of them in the world are in the NCAA, especially the younger ones," said Bouveng, specifically noting the talent laden USA roster filled with NCAA players.

Bouveng scored 19 goals and 50 points in 39 games this season for Minnesota's women's hockey team. Alongside Murphy, they were one of the most dangerous tandems in the NCAA. If they meet internationally however, the friendship of being line mates is over temporarily. 

"Me and Murphy have played on the same line almost the whole year, I think it would be pretty special," said Bouveng of potentially facing her Minnesota linemate internationally. "When you take on this jersey and she put on Team USA, we're opponents like anyone else."

For Sweden, the emergence of Bouveng has given them a realistic secondary scoring threat to add to players like Lina Ljungblom and Hanna Olsson who have been key players on the world stage recently. It's good news for her, for Sweden, and for Minnesota, where Josefin Bouveng's success took off.